CNET editors' review
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CNET editors' rating:
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Detailed editors' rating
- Reviewed on: 01/28/2009
The $500 Dell I530S-119B is a refresh of Dell's Inspiron "S" line of low-end, low-budget desktop PCs with a slim chassis. This model has many of the same basic specifications as the Inspiron I530S-114B that we reviewed a few months ago, but this time around, Dell speeds up the processor and adds a larger hard drive for the same decent price. Although competitors, such as Acer, sell a comparable system with more features and an even bigger hard-drive capacity, if you don't need the extra fluff, you'll appreciate the Dell's capability to multitask quickly and efficiently across a wider spectrum of applications.
Dell using the space-saving chassis in the I530S-119B isn't surprising if you consider the success of its predecessors. The classy silver and white tower can disappear comfortably in tight spaces across many decors thanks to its small size (14.2 inches high by 3.9 inches wide by 17.1 inches deep), and although you sacrifice a bit of expandability and horsepower, the desktop's versatile shape is a testament to its efficient, intelligent design.
However, Dell isn't the only desktop vendor to offer a desktop on a diet; last year we looked at the HP Pavilion Slimline s3500f and Acer just added the Acer Aspire X1700-U3700A, its Aspire AX3200, and the lower end Aspire X1200. For our purposes, let's compare the I530S-119B with Acer's latest addition to its small form factor lineup, the X1700-U3700A.
| Dell Inspiron I530S-119B | Acer Aspire X1700-U3700A | |
| Price | $500 | $480 |
| CPU | 2.5GHz Intel Pentium Dual-Core CPU E5200 | 2.4GHz Intel Pentium Dual CPU E2220 |
| Graphics | 128MB (shared) Intel GMA 3100 integrated graphics chip | 128MB (shared) Nvidia GeForce G100 integrated graphics chip |
| Hard drives | 500GB, 7,200rpm | 640GB, 7,200rpm |
| Optical drive | dual-layer DVD burner | dual-layer DVD burner |
| Networking | 10/100Mbps Ethernet LAN | 10/100Mbps Ethernet LAN |
| Operating system | Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 (64-bit) | Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 (64-bit) |
The systems share a similar set of components and a slimline shape, but several additions sway our favor toward the Acer's features. First, the Acer is cheaper because of a slightly slower CPU than the Dell (both run on Intel Pentium dual-core processors), but Acer packs in a more spacious hard drive. At the end of the race, Acer pulls ahead with a strong set of added features including a 14-in-1 multimedia card reader, 9 USB ports, an HDMI, and an eSATA port--the Dell has none of the above. Next, the Acer can potentially give media editors and home theater enthusiasts a solid workhorse with a few additional interior modifications, while the Dell Inspiron has limited room to upgrade. Inside, you get a slot for an optional video card, another standard PCI slot, and a single PCI express slot along with an open hard-drive bay. Finally, four single 1GB DIMMS occupy each of the four memory slots inside the Dell, so you can expect to toss out at least one 1GB of memory if you ever want more RAM, although Acer is worse with a pair of 2GB DIMMs slots already occupying the only two slots.
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)
(Longer bars indicate better performance)
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Rendering Multiple CPUs | |
Rendering Single CPU |
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